The Heavenly Trade, Tract · Application 4 · Part 5 · Subpart 2
Advice 2.
2. You that have any good Trading for Heaven, be exhorted to enlarge your Trade; drive a greater Trade of godlineſs every day, as men that proſper in the world do; they build larger barns, fairer houſes, greater ſhops, get more goods, buy more land, and widen the bounds of their intereſts: So ſhould you Chriſtians, if God bleſs your heavenly ſubſtance, and proſper your ſouls; if the gain of godlineſs come in, lay it out to greaten godlineſs, as biting Uſurers do, take uſe upon uſe; convert your gettings into your Trade; put your incomes into bank, and your bleſſings into ſtock, trading on them. Think
Firſt, On the ſmalneſs of thy firſt ſtock, and thy low eſtate at thy ſetting up, A Syrian ready to periſh, Deut. 26. 5. thy grace was ſmall, a grain of muſtard ſeed, Mat. 13. 31. thy capacity is weak, a new-born babe, 1 Pet. 2. 3. You began with one talent, and have you not reaſon to improve it? you were the feweſt of all people, Deut. 7. 7. I taught Ephraim alſo to go, taking him by the arm, Hoſ. 11. 3. as a little weak child; a dry tree, Pſal. 56. 3. a tender plant, Iſa. 53. 2. which need addition.
Secondly, Conſider what a poor Trade moſt men drive for Heaven this day; few that ſeek the things that are Chriſt's, and make Religion their buſineſs. All men ſeek their own things; the multitude of Profeſſours, as well as others, wonder after this beaſt the world: We may ſay of Religion, as the Prophet did of Sion: This is godlineſs which no man ſeeketh after, Jer. 30. 17. Few Iſraelites, in whom there is no guile; few Noahs, perfect in their generation, walking with God; few Calebs, who fulfill after God. Moſt mens Religion lies in notion, profeſſion, talkings, frames, priviledges, going to Meetings, getting into Churches; but few make conſcience of their words and waies, their promiſes and duties; few ſecond-table men and women, that cauſe their light to ſhine before men; and as Zachary and Elizabeth, walking in all the commands and ordinances of God blameleſs, Luke 1. 6. doing juſtly, ſhewing mercy, and walking humbly with their God, Mich. 6. 8. viſiting the fatherleſs and widow in their affliction, and keeping themſelves unſpotted from the world, Jam. 1. 27. And ſhould not this provoke thy zeal for the Lord of Hoſts, to ſee the Altars of Religion down, and ſo few friends of godlineſs left, and ſtir up thy holy ambition to excel and do more for God than others? It would argue a brave ſpirit, and be a worthy attempt to offer a lift at fal'n godlineſs, with thy life as well as lip, and by the raiſed ſplendour of thy holy converſation, as a City on a hill, to provoke others to an imitation, ſaying, Come up hither.
Think alſo what an excellent Trade the Saints and Angels in Heaven drive, who have their portion in hand, and dwell in the City of the great King, who are alwaies receiving and rendering, driving a whole Trade for God, above all hazards and interruptions: They alway behold their Father's face, and ſerve him day and night in his Temple, with palms in their hands, with ſongs in their mouths, and their Crowns at his feet, and how far you are beneath theſe glorious Merchants. Think what a breadth you have yet to fill up in godlineſs, and what advances you muſt make in holineſs, before you can get up to their pitch, and have a place amongſt them that ſtand by, Zach. 3. 7. and is it not time yet to build the houſe of God? Hag. 1. 2. and that you haſten to your work, and raiſe higher ſtories for God every day, preſſing after greater meaſures of grace, till you come to the fulneſs of the ſtature of Chriſt, and thoſe perfections of glorified Saints and Angels?
Fourthly, When will you be fit for a return into your own Countrey, and a comfortable account of your Stewardſhip, if you be ſo ſlothful and contracted in your Heavenly Trade? When will your ſhips be loaden, and your ſacks full for a departure hence, if you trade at ſuch a rare, and attend your ſoul-thrivings no better? your Treaſure is deep, and calls for more digging; your Crown is afar off, and requires faſter runing; your Reward is large, greater enlargements of labours are needful to meeten you for it. O think how far glory is above all your proportions of grace and duty; and what need you have to preſs after more enlargedneſs in your ſouls, and ſuitableneſs for your eſtate above.
Fifthly, The greater Trade you drive for Heaven, the leſs trouble; 'tis not ſo in earthly Trades; there the more work, the more wearineſs; but Religion carries refreſhment in its work. John 4. 34. My meat is to do the will of him that ſent me, and to finiſh his work. Prov. 3. 17. Her waies are waies of pleaſantneſs, and all her paths are peace. O the ſweetneſs and delicate pleaſure which vigorous purſuits of holineſs afford! Cant. 2. 3. I ſate under his ſhadow with great delight, and his fruit was ſweet to my taſte. If perſons intermeddle not with the joy of godlineſs, 'tis becauſe they neglect the work of it; they eat not the kernel, becauſe they break not the ſhell; Chriſt's myrrh is to be gathered, and his honey eaten with the honey-comb, which muſt be ſqueezed out ere eaten, Cant. 5. 1. Rabbi Solomon takes the comb foreign, for a Cane, nPro canna in qua ſit mel quod exugatur abjecta canna. Mercer.out of which the honey is ſucked, or the ſugar boyled out. They that will eat Chriſt's pleaſant bread, muſt work hard for it; his idlers have none of his dainties; the greater the labour, the ſweeter is the reſt. The Lord's way is not tireſom, unleſs to fleſh and blood: the more you run in it, the leſs weary. Iſa. 40. 31. They ſhall run, but not be weary, walk, but not faint: And though they ſhould be weary in well doing, through their carnal ſloth, yet they are not weary of it.
Sixthly, The greater Trade, the richer; 'tis not alwaies ſo in worldy employments; men may labour in vain, and ſit down in ſorrow, but godlineſs is profitable for all things, Iſa. 55. 2. 1 Tim. 4. 8. And the Heavenly Trade brings in the true Treaſure, as I have already ſhewn; and the more employment, the more profit.
Seventhly, The larger Trade you drive for Heaven, the more you have of that honour that comes down from Heaven, Rom. 2. 10. Glory, and honour, and peace to every one that worketh good. The greater Trade, the greater riches, and the greater riches, the greater reputation: The rich hath many friends, Prov. 14. 20. The greater Trade you drive for Heaven, the greater regard you have from God; the more of his preſence is with you, his delight in you, and bleſſing upon you; the Spouſes growth and fruitfulneſs, was much taking upon the heart of Chriſt. How fair and how pleaſant art thou O Love for delights! Cant. 7. 6, 7. This thy ſtature is like to a Palmtree, and thy breaſts to cluſters of grapes. The Palm-tree is an emblem of growth and fruitfulneſs; the more it is oppreſt, the more it grows, and no tree more fruitful; 'tis called foreign, alway having leaves: Naturaliſts ſay, 'tis never without leaves and fruit; when ſome fruit is ripe (as Pliny tells us) other fruit is growing It hath leaves in the higheſt branches, wherever the ſweet ſap comes (ſaith Alſted) 'Tis a tree that's exceeding profitable; ſome reckon three hundred and ſixty advantages that this Palm-tree yields, oIn fructuum jam maturorum locum alii fructus eodem in loco & eadem parte ſtatim ſuccedunt. Plin.and hence the Egyptians make it a ſymbole of the ſolar year, which conſiſts of three hundred ſixty five daies: and its fruit is wonderfully reſtorative and nouriſhing, repairing the decayed ſtrength, and radical moiſture of man's body, Alſted. Theol. Nat. and therefore a fit metaphor to expreſs the Church's fruitfulneſs, in which the Lord Jeſus takes ſuch great delight; he gets up early to the Vineyard, to ſee if the Vine flouriſh, whether the tender grape appear, and the Pomegranate bud forth, Cant. 7. 12. So delightful is the view of a flouriſhing people unto Chriſt: The more you thrive in grace, the more will you have of Chriſt's company; and that's honourable.
Eighthly, The greater Trade you drive for Heaven, the more uſeful you are while on Earth; the larger capacities you have to do good to others, and to ſerve your generation, which is a bleſſed thing. 'Tis more bleſſed to give than to receive, Acts 20. 35. 1 Tim. 6. 17, 18. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to diſtribute, willing to communicate. The richer you are in grace, the more able you are to do good, and not only able, but the more willing alſo. The reaſon Chriſtians have no more heart to do good, and to communicate, is their ſoulpoverty; they are not rich in grace, they have but little ſpiritual Treaſure, little grace to communicate; their hands are ſhut, becauſe their hearts are empty; but the more divine treaſure you have, the more ready will you be to do good, and to lay out both your outward and inward riches. O how uſeful may rich men be in the places where they live, if God give them hearts to do it! and how helpful may ſuch be in this day of ſoul-wants, who are encreaſed with ſpiritual goods? there are many impoveriſhed ſouls this day who are ready to periſh for want of light, peace and comfort; perplexed with doubts, darkneſs, and diſtreſſing fears, and have none to help them. O how refreſhing, in ſuch a day of ſoul-exigences, would it be to have ſome rich neighbours among them, ſome proſperous Jobs! Who with-hold not the poor from their deſire, nor cauſe the eyes of the Widow to fail, Job 31. 16, 17, 19. Who would draw forth their ſoul to the hungry, and ſatisfy the afflicted ſoul, Iſa. 58. 10. Who could not eat their morſel alone, or ſee the poor to periſh for want of clothing: To be eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame, Job 29. 15. To ſpeak a word in ſeaſon to him that is weary, and to comfort others with the ſame comforts they have received of God. Chriſtians, make haſte to be rich in grace, that ye may be rich in good works; that ye may caſt in much into the Lord's treaſury, Mark 12. 41. and out of your abundance caſt into the offerings of God, Luke 21. 4. Then ſhould the bleſſing of the poor, that was ready to periſh, come upon you, Job. 29. 13. and the fruit of welldoing be your ſavoury meat, on which the Lord would daily feed you.
Ninthly, The greater Trade you drive for Heaven now, the greater will your eſtate in Heaven be hereafter: 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of righteouſneſs; which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all that love his appearing. To me, who have run my race, finiſh'd my courſe, and kept the faith: To me, who have wrought hard in the Vineyard, and traded diligently for Heaven in the World: For me, yea for all ſuch as enlarge their heavenly Trade, is laid up, foreign, (as Parents do Portions for their children, ſaith Zanchy) a Crown of righteouſneſs: glory ſutable to their improvements of grace; called a Crown, to note its excellency; and of righteouſneſs, to note its equity: It ſhall bear a proportion to all that grace, labours and faithfulneſs that is in Saints; and infinitely beyond it. A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. 4. 17. God will not leave out the leaſt item of the Saints right in the great day of righteouſneſs; A cup of cold water; a little meal to the Prophet Eliſha; a mite in the treaſury; a deſire to build God's houſe: all ſhall be remembred in that day: Mercy gives the Crown, but Juſtice fits it for the overcomer's head. God crowns (ſaith Beda) pDona ſua coronat non merita tua. Donavit haec tempore miſericordiae, coronabit illa tempore judicii. Beda in loc.his own gifts, not thy merits: He firſt gives grace in the time of mercy, and then crowns it in the day of Judgment: And is not this argument enough? yea conſtraint on an ingenious heart, to labour after the greateſt latitude of holineſs? Is not Heaven enough to requite all thy duties and hardſhips on earth? What's enough, (ſaith one) if Rome be counted little? qQuid fatis eſt ſi Roma parum.So what can be counted great, if Heaven be ſmall, and not price enough for all thy holy ſtrivings, and utmoſt progreſs in the way of life?
O attend your proficiency in this heavenly Trade! your hearts and hands can never be too deep in the concerns of this upper World; in this you can never be too covetous: 1 Cor. 12. 31. Covet earneſtly the beſt gifts, rforeign, modis omnibus ſtudio, precibus conſequi annitimini.Take heed of putting ſtands and limits to your holineſs; (the courſe of all unſanctified ſouls:) In this only is it lawful to remove the ancient bounds, and enlarge your ſpiritual inheritance, as far as poſſible; Reaching forth to the things that are before, and preſſing forward to the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Chriſt Jeſus, Phil. 3. 13, 14. Nothing undoes Profeſſors like to ſtinting their meaſures of holineſs, and contenting themſelves with preſent attainments; if they can get to ſuch a pitch of light, grace, and comfort, as will ſecure their ſalvation and preſent welfare, they ſit down, and go no further: this makes formaliſts and ſtarvelings in Religion. Speak unto the children of Iſrael that they go forward, Exod. 14. 15. is God's charge on his people in their paſſage to the heavenly Canaan: Be adding to your faith vertue, &c, 1 Pet. 1. 5. The greateſt skill in this holy Arithmetick lies in Addition and Multiplication. Be ſtill enlarging your ſtore, get in more choice of heavenly wares, greater quantities, and more coſtly goods; and be putting off more and more goods, as you have opportunity; ſeeing great is not only your preſent advantage, but your reward in Heaven alſo, Mat. 5. 12.